


Just Around The Corner

by dreamangels508



Series: Days of Miraculous [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, One-Shot, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-04-01
Packaged: 2018-05-30 11:23:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6421966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamangels508/pseuds/dreamangels508
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now Sabine Dupain-Cheng was not so oblivious that she would overlook the many changes her daughter had gone through this past year. No, it wasn't that her daughter had changed entirely. The Marinette she knew appeared every now and then, and of course there were some things left unchanged. She just seemed and acted different than before, and yet, she couldn't figure out what exactly had changed in her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This comes after Then Fate Turned A Corner..

Now Sabine Dupain-Cheng was not so oblivious that she would overlook the many changes her daughter had gone through this past year. No, it wasn't that her daughter had changed entirely. The Marinette she knew appeared every now and then, and of course there were some things left unchanged. She just seemed and acted different than before, and yet, she couldn't figure out what exactly had changed in her.

The answer to Sabine's concerns appeared right in front of her one day while she was out shopping for more ingredients and baking supplies. The weather was rather dreary that day. Grey clouds covered the entire sky, and it blocked the sun from shining its rays though the morning air. It was forecasted that Paris would be seeing heavy rain clouds throughout the entire week. The city's citizens were informed to be aware of the rain that would be pouring down at a moment's notice.

Sabine took the opportunity before the stormy weather hit full on to restock the quickly dwindling ingredients needed for baking. With her decisions made, she grabbed an umbrella from its holster and a shopping bag from the cupboard, and headed out the bakery she and her husband owned.

The walk to the closest grocery store took only a few minutes, and when she arrived, there were still no signs of rain water. Sabine sighed in relief at her luck, but hurriedly went to seek out the ingredients and supplies she needed before her luck ran out.

When she found everything she needed, Sabine walked through the lanes with shelves stacked full of supplies. As she was passing a shelf very much like the others, she sensed someone walking past her from behind. When she turned, she caught sight of two twin pigtails tied in the same style as Marinette's, and also a wave of blond hair, before the person, or people, disappeared from her view.

Sabine shrugged and thought nothing of it as she made the rest of the way to the cashier. As she was standing in line, an ear-piercing scream cut through the air, startling her. Followed by that, more screams could be heard in the distance.

As she was distracted by all the sudden noises outside, she almost missed the flashes of red and black dash right past her. Almost. Instantly, she locked eyes on whoever had just ran past her and was met with red and black spandex. Ladybug and Chat Noir. Paris' own superhero duo.

The little bell on top of the entrance jingled as the superhero duo hastily pushed the door open and ran out. Sabine, out of curiosity and instinct, followed behind. She had a sudden feeling something bad was going to happen to the two superheroes, and the thought of them being injured or dead sent a slight shiver down her spine.

Outside was a mess of people running around and vehicles parked in the middle of the streets. The superheroes scanned the entire area before springing into action. Ladybug swung her yo yo while Chat Noir pounced after her. They were heading upwards, and were both staring at a roof on top of a building. Sabine followed their stares, and spotted a small silhouette one wouldn't have seen if they were not looking.

Suddenly, as if the person on the roof spotted the duo, the person started running away from them and jumped. Right towards the street where Sabine stood.

Having a bad feeling about this, she started running away from the wide open clearing. It deemed to be useless when she felt something wrap around her and pull her backwards. She gasped at the sudden force lifting her towards the sky.

Gusts of wind swept past them as they traveled away from the street she had momentarily been on. A few seconds later, the person pulling her with strings landed on a different building not too far away from the street. She felt the strings let go of her, and in an instant, she bolted past the person to search for an exit. She found a door at the center of the roof, but when she grasped the handle and pulled, it wouldn't budge. Dread filled her as she turned away from the door and towards her captor.

Her captor appeared to be a girl. A girl younger than her daughter; probably only the age of nine at the most. Sabine felt angered and saddened how such a little girl could be turned a villain at the hands of evil. The girl wasn't doing anything, and was just waiting patiently for something, probably Ladybug and Chat Noir, to come. Sabine took this moment to examine the girl.

At first glance, her appearance was that of a normal girl wearing a cute little dress. Anyone not paying close attention wouldn't have noticed the clear, thin strings floating and surrounding her. A dead giveaway to the strings would be the teddy bear held up by them floating right behind the girl.

That was all the time she had to actually describe the girl before she turned around and stared right into Sabine's eyes. The girl's eyes were a striking teal color, and it contrasted nicely with her dark blond hair. Suddenly, a purple outline in the shape of a butterfly appeared around the girl's eyes.

Sabine thought she heard a man's voice come through the outline, and a moment later, the girl spoke. "Yes, Hawkmoth." At that, the outline disappeared, and the girl grinned. She lifted her two arms, and multiple strings came rushing at Sabine. They wrapped around her waist, chest, wrists, knees, ankles, and forehead. Sabine gasped as the strings wound tightly around her, and lifted her up in the air yet again.

"Hello! I am the Puppet Mage, and you will be my puppet." the girl stated simply. Sabine's eyes widened as she struggled against the strings holding her. It didn't even loosen one bit. "Please, stop this. It is not right." Sabine tried to convince the girl. Puppet Mage ignored her words. Sabine spoke again, "Why are you doing this?"

At this question, Puppet Mage spared a glance at her. "You'll see."

Right after she had spoken, a red yo yo with black spots wrapped around a metal rod on the edge of the roof. Scrambling could also be heard heading up the building. The girl took a fighting stance. "They're here."

Ladybug appeared first, jumping onto the edge of the roof as she pulled her yo yo back into her hands. Chat Noir appeared next to her right after, with a grin on his face due to the exhilaration of jumping from building to building. His staff was extended and held in his right hand. They both took a fighting stance once they jumped off the edge.

When they finally lifted their heads to look at their opponent, their eyes widened in surprise at how young she was. "That Hawkmoth! He doesn't have even a tiny bit of mercy, does he!" Ladybug muttered angrily. And at that moment, Ladybug looked towards Sabine, and choked back a yelp. But it wasn't enough for one word to escape. "Mom?!"


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug barely had time to dodge the attack, and when she did, she heard a strangled yelp behind her. Ladybug whipped her head towards the sound in search of her partner. She caught sight of him hanging upside down tangled in strings. "Chat!" Her heart clenched at the sight of him in danger as she began to run over to him. Another wave of strings was sent her way, and she had to jump backwards to avoid the attack. "Chat, use your cataclysm!"

"Mom?!" Ladybug yelped out. She ungracefully stepped a few steps backward, and her ankles grazed the edge of the roof. Chat Noir looked back and forth from the Puppet Mage, Sabine, and Ladybug in concern. "I-I..." Ladybug stammered.

Sabine glanced at the young hero with confusion in her frightened eyes. The Puppet Mage just blankly stared on, keeping her strings wound tightly around Sabine. She flinched as the thin strings pinched deeper into her skin. This caught the notice of a certain stammering superhero. As if finally realizing the urgent situation again, the hero quickly regained her confident composure.

"N-nevermind what I said. I mistook you for someone else." Ladybug explained, looking at Sabine with a kind and somewhat sad expression. Sabine instantly wanted to reach out to the hero and comfort her like she would to her own child. If only she wasn't trapped in a tangle of strings.

Without warning, Chat Noir and Ladybug dashed forward before splitting up so that Ladybug was near Sabine and Chat was in close proximity to the Puppet Mage. The villain reacted just as quickly by pulling Sabine higher as she herself moved a few feet more away from the incoming attack.

With a swipe of his arm, Chat threw his baton directly at the defenseless-looking, floating teddy bear directly behind the girl. The Mage reacted only a millisecond later as she yanked the string connected to the bear closer to herself, and the bear moved just in time. She used the momentum from swiping her right arm to send a few strings towards Chat. "Me-yeow! That was close!" he yelped as he barely dodged the attack.

Meanwhile, Ladybug quietly sneaked behind the villain hoping to catch her by surprise. Her plan of attack was going well, and she was only a few inches from the teddy bear until she was pushed to the ground from a force behind her. "I am so sorry, Ladybug!" she heard her mom cry out in apology. "I can't seem to control my body!" Ladybug resisted the urge to blurt out the word 'mom' to the entrapped woman. Instead, she jumped out of the way before a wave of wiry strings could touch her. A laugh rang through the air. "Thought you could sneak up on me?" The Puppet Mage sent another wave of strings at Ladybug. "You thought wrong!"

Ladybug barely had time to dodge the attack, and when she did, she heard a strangled yelp behind her. Ladybug whipped her head towards the sound in search of her partner. She caught sight of him hanging upside down tangled in strings. "Chat!" Her heart clenched at the sight of him in danger as she began to run over to him. Another wave of strings was sent her way, and she had to jump backwards to avoid the attack. "Chat, use your cataclysm!"

Chat struggled to loosen his right hand from the wires. He succeeded a second later, and proceeded to hover his hand over the wires entangling him. "Cataclysm!" Chat Noir shouted, and black particles started swirling around his hand. He swiped down on the wires that entangled him, but before his claws could even touch them, Puppet Mage wrapped his now destructive hand with more wires. "Oh no you don't, Chat Noir!"

The wires that were strung around his gloved hand turned into dust, and the black particles that had swirled around his hand faded along with his power. Chat's eyes widened, and the Puppet Mage smirked. Chat winced as the strings somehow cut into his suit. He knew there'll be painful marks after. "Ouch, these constant strings of attack are really annoying, you know." he complained. Puppet Mage rolled her eyes.

Just then, a familiar purple butterfly outline appeared before Puppet Mage's face. Hawkmoth's voice rang through the air as he communicated with his own little puppet. "Yes, use this chance! Chat Noir can help you defeat Ladybug. Make him your puppet, and when you've defeated Ladybug, your wish to see both of them gone will be granted easily. You'll get your parents back." Hawkmoth smoothly spoke to the young girl. And she smirked. "I will defeat both of them, and you will get your Miraculouses."

Ladybug frowned in anger. How dare Hawkmoth use innocent civilians to do his dirty work. How dare he use this young girl. How dare he convince the girl to capture her mom. And how dare he suggest to use Chat to help fight against her. Her anger rose to greater heights as Chat and her mother were lifted upright into fighting stances. Filled with unprecedented rage, Ladybug charged in without thinking. It was time to end this.

Ladybug threw her arm into the air right when Puppet Mage instructed her human puppets to attack her. "Lucky Charm!" she shouted with all her might. After the magical light particles receded, it revealed a pair of heavy iron gloves. She almost dropped on the ground them because of the weight. As if everything was in slow motion, with Chat and her mom flying slowly towards her, Ladybug looked around for anything that could help her to get closer to the Mage and place these iron gloves on her.

A plan formed in her mind when she noticed a metal beam directly above Chat and Sabine and between Puppet Mage and herself. She then looked at the position where Chat and her mom were charging towards her. Finally, she looked to where the Puppet Mage was standing. A smile stretched along her face. She had a plan.

A second later, Ladybug had gathered up the pair of iron gloves in one arm and readied her magical yo-yo while she waited for Chat and her mom to come closer to her. Just as they were ready to pounce, she swung her yo-yo to wrap around the metal beam and lifted herself onto the beam with it. The Puppet Mage's eyes snapped upwards to meet hers. Ladybug noticed a familiar shade of green that colored her eyes.

Ladybug shook her head to snap out of random thoughts. This wasn't the time.

Quickly, she placed her yo-yo on her hips and clutched the metal gloves in both of her hands. Since Chat Noir and Sabine were now farther away from Ladybug, Puppet Mage decided to take matters into her own hands. The moment she lifted her hands up to send a barrage of strings towards Ladybug, was the moment of her certain defeat due to an irreversible mistake.

Ladybug had jumped forward towards the young girl. Instead of wrapping around Ladybug's torso like it was intended to, the strings wrapped around the metal beam. With only a split second left before Puppet Mage realizes her mistake, Ladybug aimed the opening of the iron gloves towards the girl's outstretched hands. The gloves locked onto the Mage's arms with a click, and the sudden weight sent the girl collapsing downwards.

With Puppet Mage out of the way, Ladybug walked up to the entangled teddy bear and gently pulled it into her hands. Puppet Mage's eyes widened with surprise and anger. "No!"

Closing her eyes for a moment, Ladybug ripped the teddy bear in half. "Get out of here, you nasty bug."

As always, the corrupted akuma flew out of the broken object. Ladybug grabbed onto her yo-yo and swiped it open. "No more evil doing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize!" The darkened akuma was captured momentarily in Ladybug's yo-yo. When it finally opened back up, a pure white butterfly fluttered out. She waved to the butterfly. "Bye bye, little butterfly."

Sighing in relief, Ladybug walked over to the unconscious young girl. Carefully, she unlocked the iron gloves and pulled it gently off the girl's arms. With a bit of extra effort, she successfully threw it up into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

A bright pink light brightened up the sky for a second before waves of magical ladybugs flew through the roof and throughout some parts of the city. The mess of strings that clung in unreachable places were magically cleared away. With the appearance of these magical ladybugs, the civilians of Paris instantly knew that their city's protectors had triumphed over evil once again, and so they cheered in joy.

Somewhere in the city in a darkened room, Hawkmoth cursed in rage.

A few seconds later, the ladybugs finally reached Chat Noir and Sabine. When the binds around Chat disappeared, he whooped and jumped around in happiness. "I'm finally a free cat again!" he pumped his fists into the air, before he fist bumped with Ladybug, who rolled her eyes. "Pound it!"

As soon as those two words were uttered, the dark mass of energy that had enveloped the young girl disappeared. She sat up, confused and dizzy until she caught sight of Ladybug and Chat Noir. She gasped. Then glared daggers at them. Ladybug was again struck with a sense of familiarity as those piercing green eyes glared into her blue ones. "If only Ladybug and Chat Noir never existed! Then my mama and papa would still be alive!" she screamed at them. Huffing in confusion and anger, she scrambled up onto her feet, and ran away from them.

In shock, neither Ladybug or Chat Noir rushed to chase after her. Her reaction was something neither of them had expected. A sudden warm and comforting hand on Ladybug's shoulder brought her out of her momentary shock. Ladybug turned around to face her mother, and was enveloped into a comforting hug. Just then, both Ladybug and Chat's Miraculouses beeped in warning. Their transformations were about to wear off.

Ladybug awkwardly pulled away from her mother. "Um, I-I need to go. It was nice meeting you. Well, not that it was exactly a nice moment. But meeting you was nice, mom. Er, I mean you random civilian! Yeah, for the first time, of course! Uh, heh." she tried to form coherent sentences, but failed miserably. "So, uh, yeah!" She looked into her mom's eyes, embarrassed.

Sabine smiled. "It's okay Marinette. I know."  
________________

Night slowly approached the streets of Paris as Marinette and Adrien finished their explanations of how they were Paris's own Ladybug and Chat Noir to Sabine. Their kwamis, Tikki and Plagg, even introduced themselves. Sabine chuckled when she found out about Plagg's obsession over cheese. Overall, Marinette's mother took it rather well, and was even supportive of both of them. Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't worried, but she knew she could never be able to stop them from risking their lives to protect innocent people from evil. And she was proud of them for that.

She herself had only found out about Ladybug's identity after the whole Puppet Mage incident. She had noticed how similar Ladybug had sometimes acted to her own daughter and how she called her 'mom' a few times. From there, she had connected the dots. The revelation that Adrien was Chat Noir was what surprised her.

After everything had been explained, Adrien stayed a while longer until he had to go back home. Sabine smiled when he leaned down to kiss her daughter's cheek, and by doing so, Marinette turned into a stuttering, blushing mess. The door clicked shut when he left. Marinette waved goodnight to her mother as she too went to prepare for bed.

As Marinette climbed into her comfy bed, she went over in her head the day's events. Her mother now knew she was Ladybug, and that swept a load of stress from keeping a secret constantly off her shoulders. From there, she thought back to the mysterious little girl. She had made a formidable villain today, but when she stared into Marinette's eyes with her green eyes, Marinette couldn't help but think. Her piercing green eyes were so familiar to her, yet she couldn't place it to anything or anyone. Sighing, Marinette went over what she had said to her and Adrien after she gained consciousness.

If only Ladybug and Chat Noir never existed! Then my mama and papa would still be alive! These words repeated over and over in Marinette's head. It brought an uncomfortable feeling with it. What had she meant by that?

With those words repeating in her head, Marinette drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, this was not how the story was supposed to go. But it's decent I suppose, and it works. Though I feel it's a bit rushed.
> 
> I'm not sure if I'll be continuing or if I'll just leave it there for everyone to come up with their own theories. Either works for me. I guess let's see what I come up with. ^^


End file.
